Bentley to redesign the EXP 9F Crossover SUV concept to make it more likeable

When Volkswagen group owned luxury car maker, Bentley, known for the bespoke luxury and status its cars offer unveiled the EXP 9F crossover SUV at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, most showgoers felt that exteriors of the high profile SUV concept seemed like an abject lack of imagination on Bentley’s part. Sure enough, the Bentley SUV concept came with all the trappings of luxury that elevated the concept into what can be only described as one of the most luxurious SUVs ever built, but the exterior design, which was more of a jacked up Bentley car at best with no distinctiveness that a product of this stature needed to command, was the big party pooper.

Bentley EXP 9F Crossover SUV Concept

Taking the feedback at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show quite seriously, Bentley will apparently head back to the drawing board to come up a new design that infuses the EXP 9F SUV concept a dash of freshness to give the SUV a distinctive identity. This is a very welcome move as Bentley seems to be actually following the real purpose of auto shows, which are intended to help automakers gauge public opinion of their new products or concepts. The car like looks are also said to be in the process of being binned for the EXP 9F concept to get a more traditional SUV like look.

Bentley EXP 9F Crossover SUV Concept

So, that might involve some retro-ness of the current design that screams Bentleeeeeey from every angle, being toned down suitably. The Bentley SUV could hit production in 2015. The Bentley SUV, which is based on a next generation SUV platform that will also underpin the likes of the new Audi Q7 and the new Porsche Cayenne, could also be available with a hybrid option. The Bentley SUV will be mainly targeted at markets like China, Russia and India, where high end luxury SUVs outsell luxury saloons and supercars quite comprehensively as SUVs have a better ability to handle road conditions that might be far from ideal in many cases.